Matthew Lowe

"Before joining Bishop Burton, I was in the Army, working in welding and fabrication with the Royal Engineers, for six-and-a-half years. I also worked in a welding and fabrication factory.

"Everything we do in the engineering department has a real world, practical element to it. As a specialist college, Bishop Burton has its own working farm, so we get real jobs to do from that, working on the machinery. We also get local farms bringing their equipment in as well. The students are all working on real tasks, which provides them with invaluable experience.

"It’s really important to prepare students for industry, so as well as working on practical tasks, we also give them responsibility and treat them like adults."